Kejriwal forms panel to probe DDCA irregularities

New Delhi: The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) is in danger of losing the hosting rights of the fourth and final Test between India and South Africa as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal named a two-member panel on Thursday to probe alleged financial irregularities by it.

The Delhi government has issued a 24-hour deadline to the DDCA to pay entertainment tax worth Rs.24 crore, failing which the fourth Test will be moved to Pune.

The committee formed by Kejriwal includes the sports secretary and the urban development secretary who were asked to submit a report by Friday.

Former cricketer and BJP MP Kirti Azad had raised the issue of financial irregularities in the DDCA, which prompted parliament to refer the matter to the home ministry.

The home ministry then forwarded the issue to the sports ministry, after which the matter has now moved to the Delhi government for further probe.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had this week set a deadline of November 17 for the DCCA to act on the issue in order to keep the hosting rights for the final Test set to start on December 3.

But all is not yet lost for the DDCA as the BCCI has allowed the state cricket body to release its balance sheet for the last three years.

The balance sheet, which was signed by the DDCA directors, was sent to the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

This means the DDCA is now likely to get a grant of around Rs.30 crore from the BCCI, which should allow it to meet the Delhi government’s demand.

Gambhir had a major tiff with DDCA officials after former India batsman Ajay Jadeja was appointed the coach of the Delhi team at the start of the current Ranji Trophy season. Jadeja later stepped down.

The new move the Arvind Kejriwal's party denounces the concept of digitalization

The BJP on Monday held Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal responsible for the death of a sanitation worker in a drain saying that the government was playing with their lives as they are not given protective gear.

“This is not the first time that such an incident has happened. Due to the negligence of the government, sanitation staff goes for cleaning sewers and dies there after inhaling toxic fumes. They are never saved even after rescue operations,” Delhi BJP Chief Manoj Tiwari told reporters here.

His remarks come a day after a sanitation worker choked to death after he got trapped inside an underground drain while cleaning it in north Delhi’s Jahroda area.

The work of cleaning the drain was being carried out by the Delhi government’s flood control department.

Sanitation workers are our helpers and Kejriwal government is playing with their lives ,www.thestatesman.com

“Sanitation workers are our helpers and Kejriwal government is playing with their lives,” he said.

Highlighting the deaths of sanitation workers in Delhi in the past few years, the BJP MP from the North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency said that in September 2018, five sanitation workers died while in August 2017, 10 died inside sewers.

“Kejriwal is responsible for the deaths of sanitation workers who die while cleaning sewers and the investigating agencies should take action against him,” he said.

Attacking Kejriwal, Tiwari said, “During the last three to four years, more than 60 workers have died.”

Arvind Kejriwal giving speech during chanda bandh satyagrah

He also accused Kejriwal of not fulfilling his promise of providing safety equipment to sewer workers and mechanical sweeping.

A senior Delhi Police official said that it has registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code over the death of the sanitation worker.

The sanitation worker has been identified as Kishan, 37, a resident of north Delhi’s Wazirabad area.